The present invention relates generally to aids for artistry such as painting and drawing, and more particularly to a bridge that can carry a stencil without smudging or smearing a freshly drawn or painted surface.
Many drawing tools exist to aid draftsmen and designers in guiding the path of their pencils and pens when laying out designs on paper, vellum, and the like. These tools include: straight edges, templates, stencils, French curves, ship's curves, etc. Typically, these tools are placed on or slightly above the surface on which the images are drawn (i.e. the paper). The hard surface of the pen or pencil glides against the hard surface of the template and the template shapes are replicated.
Fine artists also have the need for similar tools to guide the path of their paint brushes over surfaces such as stretched-canvas and watercolor paper. However, when adapted to brushes with long bristles/hairs the tools just described are impractical when held near the painting surface. They impede the flow of paint, cause the paint to smear, and have little accuracy when the flimsy brush hairs are run against the rigid surface of the template.
A device known as a Maulstick (or Mahlstick) has been used by artists for centuries. It is simply a rod with a spherical end that rests on the painting or on a nearby object. The artist holds the other end of the Maulstick in his left hand, for example, and places his right hand with loaded brush on the stick for support while applying paint. Maulsticks have limited applicability for drawing precise shapes, and rely on the skill of the artist in holding the device steady while concentrating on the painting strokes. As such, Maulsticks are not very helpful to the object of the present invention.
Art bridges that have feet which sit on the painting surface are also known in the art. These bridges, however, have little utility as brush guides. They have only straight edges, are typically short in length and, consequently, cannot be used without sitting directly on the painted portion of the surface. The straight edges also rest close to the painting surface, thereby limiting their utility as a guide for long-haired paint brushes.
It can be appreciated that a fine artist who applies paint (oil, acrylic, watercolor) to a surface often needs a bridge that does not rest on the image and allows his brushes to follow multiple available guides. These guides need to be supported by the bridge at sufficient heights above the image that the contact with the brush is above the bristles, e.g. at the brush ferrule or brush handle. The brush hairs would have no contact with the guide or bridge and the flow of paint would not be impeded. The present inventor is aware of no such device that addresses the shortcomings described above.